Report from McPherson Square, Day 4
Thursday, October 6, 2011
(Metropolitan Washington Council, AFL-CIO)Occupy
D.C. entered its fourth day of protests Wednesday with new ideas, hopes
and a developing plan for survival. Tuesday night 75 protestors -- chanting
“Keep your billions out of our ballot boxes” and “banks got bailed out, we
got
sold out!” -- marched on the D.C. offices of Koch Industries to demonstrate
their frustration with the billionaire owners Charles and Fred Koch's influence
in American politics. The DC protests began in McPherson Park on Saturday night
and occupiers have been sleeping on sidewalks in the park or in the doorways of
area businesses since sleeping on the park benches or grass is illegal. During
the day on Wednesday, the number of protestors appeared to be dwindling, with a
barely visible presence during the morning and afternoon. Despite the low
turnout, the group’s message has been covered widely in the press: ABC 7
reported live from the Koch protest, and NBC set up a camera in the park on
Wednesday. The number of protestors rises to around 100 in the evenings, when
the group schedules the next day’s actions. Wednesday night Occupy D.C.
planned
a march to the Newseum where Vice President Joe Biden and Dick Cheney were
scheduled to speak. Today, they plan on joining other organizations in Freedom
Plaza as part of the Stop the Madness protest, which over 1,000 people are
expected to attend. The success of the Occupy D.C. movement will hinge on
whether they can attract more supporters in the coming days. Otherwise this
group may fizzle quickly. Protestors in Wall Street received a significant
boost when they were joined by a number of New York City unions on Wednesday.
Hopes of similar support are palpable in McPherson Square.
- report/photo by AJ
Metcalf